Q Factor Raises $6.5M Series A To Fix Rich Media Delivery On Mobile By Eliminating The Wait

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Q Factor, a U.S. startup that’s aiming to fix media-rich content delivery on wireless devices so there’s less — or even zero — waiting around to watch that video or access a large file, has closed a $6.5 million Series A funding round from Sigma Prime Ventures and Venrock.

The Waltham, MA-based startup was founded back in early 2012 but has been keeping things stealthy up to now. Its pulling back the curtain today to announce its Series A, and detail its technology.

So what has Q Factor built? A software-only system to do wireless packet recovery — it’s calling this tech DRP (aka: dynamic packet recovery) — and claims it “dramatically” improves the delivery and viewing experience of “media-rich content” on wireless devices.

The system does this by locating lost packets (since it knows what’s being sent) and replacing them to keep the content coming. The aim, says Roy, is to “eliminate” any waiting around when you stream a video, download a file, or access a large file on a mobile device.

DPR™ finds all those missing packets dynamically with no need for retransmission, making sure that all the data necessary for any user interaction is there when it is needed and helping improve network throughput. There is no more waiting around while watching that dreaded spinning wheel when your application has been “QFactored.”

The DRP is deployed via an SDK — so Q Factor will need to attract developers with media-heavy apps to sign up. Other applications that it reckons could benefit include media players, VPNs, cloud back-up and multiplayer gaming. Its software won’t be commercially available until 2014.

“Accessing Web content over wireless is increasingly becoming the standard, but the user experience today is terribly erratic. Q Factor’s technology offers a powerful solution that provides dramatic gains in performance,” said Sigma general partner Simon, commenting on the funding round in a statement.

“Subhash and his founding team have unparalleled experience and knowledge of this market,” added Venrock’s Tyrrell in another statement. “The combination of this talent and their disruptive technology will prove to be a game-changer in delivering content over wireless.”